Community

Little Learners

Each Friday morning at 9:00 a.m.to 10:30 a.m. pre-schoolers and their carers are invited to join us for a fun morning of activities run by our Visual Arts teacher. This is a free activity open to all members of the community.

Community Involvement

Newlands Primary School welcomes the involvement and active participation of all parents/friends in the life of the child during their primary school years.

You can (and are welcome to) become involved by:

Being nominated/elected to School Council

Joining a School Council Sub committee

Becoming active in the Parents’ and Friends Association/Fundraising Committee

Helping in the classroom or in a particular program or project

Library statement

Our school library is operated by volunteers; parents, grandparents and friends of the school who believe a love of books is the cornerstone for lifetime learning. We aim to provide a welcoming space for children to engage with reading and broaden their literacy horizons.

The library volunteers are committed to supporting teachers and students by maintaining the library, cataloguing, repairing and covering books and curating the collection with guidance from staff. We also organise fundraising activities to help maintain and build the collection in line with curriculum objectives.

We believe the school library is the the heart of a vibrant school community and a gathering place for all who love learning.

Since February 2015, the NPS library committee has worked to rejuvenate the library. The library has grown to become a popular and vibrant hub in the school. We are fortunate to have professional librarians and children’s literature specialists in our school community who assist staff in curating and managing our library collection.

Every class has scheduled library sessions each week. Up to 50 students visit the library during lunch time openings and many parents enjoy visiting the library after school on Mondays and Wednesdays to browse the shelves with their children.

The library welcomes new volunteers. Even if you can only help on a casual basis or attend an occasional working bee, all help is valued.

Please leave your name and contact details at the school office if you would like to become involved with helping in the library in any capacity. Anyone can join the library committee simply by attending a meeting, which are held once per term.

Volunteers assist with covering books, fundraising events or may join the roster for library opening times.

All books are loaned for two weeks. The number of books that students may borrow at any one time is:

Preps/Foundation – 2

Grade 1 and 2 – 2

Grade 3 and 4 – 4

Grade 5 and 6 – 6

There are no fines for overdue books but we encourage children to return their books as soon as they have read them so they may borrow new ones. Overdue notices are sent out at the end of each term.

If a book is extremely overdue, the notice will list the replacement cost of the book; usually between $10.00 and $25.00, depending on the item.

Newlands Primary School Library includes:

Spanish language collection

Lunch time story readings in English & Spanish

‘Easy story’ section for readers in transition

Graphic novels

Picture books, fiction and non-fiction

Premier’s Reading Challenge section

Student library monitors

School Council

What is a School Council and what does it do?All government schools in Victoria have a school council. They are legally formed bodies that are given powers to set the key directions of a school within centrally provided guidelines. In doing this, a School Council is able to directly influence the quality of education that the school provides for its students. The school council meets twice a term.

Who is on a school council?A school council’s constituting Order specifies the total size of the council and the number of members in each category.

Most members of a school council stand for election at the school where they are parents or staff members. Other members can be co-opted by the council within the limits of the order.

Because parents have such an important part to play in schools, there is an elected parent member category. More than two-thirds of the elected members must be parents.

Similarly, there is an elected member category for employees of the Department of Education and Training. Members of this category may make up no more than one-third of the total membership. The principal of the school is automatically one of these members.

Functions of a school councilThe functions of a school council are outlined in the Education and Training Reform Act 2006 and include:

establishing the broad direction and vision of the school within the school’s community

participating in the development and monitoring of the school strategic plan

approving the annual budget and monitoring expenditure

developing, reviewing and updating school policies

raising funds for school-related purposes

maintaining the school’s grounds and facilities

entering into contracts (such as for cleaning or construction work)

reporting annually to the school community and to the Department of Education and Training

creating interest in the school to the wider community

informing itself of and taking into account the views of the community

regulating and facilitating the after hours use of school premises and grounds

operating a children’s service at the school or other premises controlled by the Minister.

Parent Helpers

Parents are warmly welcomed to help in school at times that are mutually agreed. Whilst we appreciate help of a regular nature in the classroom working with the children, there are a variety of tasks that can be done either outside of the classroom or at home that are of equal benefit to the staff and students.

Parents helping in school assisting students are always under the supervision of the class teacher who will explain the task, what is required of the student/s and the helper’s role within that setting. Please advise your supervising teacher if you are unable to attend a planned session. Parent helpers are asked to consider carefully the beneficial results of helping in a different classroom. We ask that confidentiality be maintained in respect of the student’s attainments, attitudes and behaviour whilst operating in school as a helper.

Beware of making judgements

All children can learn

Children learn at different rates and have different learning needs

Retain confidentiality – the privacy of both parents and students must be respected at all times. Do not mention the names of students with whom you are asssisting in front of your own children or other parents. Children can easily be hurt by apparently harmless remarks from their peers or other students.

Any matter that is of concern should be discussed with the classroom teacher immediately in order for any misunderstandings or difficulties to be addressed as a matter of urgency.

What does being a classroom helper mean?

Assisting in the classroom under the direction of the classroom teacher by:

Working with small groups of children providing a role model for learning

Being a valuable member of the school community

Your support in the classroom will ensure that children remain on task while the teacher is working with other groups

Your willingness to assist in classroom activities shows other parents what can be achieved when partnerships are formed